Body Shaming is NOT Motivational!

Body Shaming is NOT Motivational!

Recently we noticed a comedian posted a video about how body shaming is motivational. Body shaming is NOT motivational. Read why she’s way off base!

Fat shaming, like it helps?

I came across this video made by a comedian the other day. Honestly, I tried to watch it, but all the F-bombs, insults, and complete lack of hilarity, I couldn’t make it even halfway through. I sat there, flames out my ears ready to punch someone. This video seriously pissed me off. Not many things do that. Part of it is her sincerely portrayed feelings Fat shaming is so pervasive in the media & in our normal lives. If a starlet has gained 5 lbs, within no time the tabloids and gossipers are on that calling them fat. Since social media rules our lives, we are required to make split second decisions about whether someone is worth our time, and often those ideas about one’s body comes up within those first moments.

One aspect I did take out of her “comedic” (yup, still don’t see the funny side of it) rant on obese people is that they can change their health and their bodies by eating healthy and exercising. True, there is a huge aspect of lifestyle that affects our weight and our health, but if it were that simple, wouldn’t there be fewer people who fit into the overweight and obese categories? And even farther, she said that shaming people gets them to change habits. That is the stupidest claim I’ve ever heard. Hey, Nicole, if I were to poke fun at your Ke$ha pink hair, would you immediately be shamed into stripping the color out? Ha! I’m going to take a shot in the dark and guess that your reply would be more along the lines of “eff you! I’m now going to dye all my hair Ke$ha pink” But really. As women in particular, we’re bombarded with this never ending slew of insults against us and our bodies. People who don’t have the bodies we’re lead to believe we need from popular media, likely have insecurities about that, and having people point those out at any rate makes it no better. Since body weight, body image, and lifestyles are deep seeded and multifaceted, let’s focus on building each other up and spreading the love, not the hate. Because hate doesn’t change behavior, and in the unfortunate instance when it does, it could lead to other unhealthy behaviors or thoughts. We’re better than that ladies and gentlemen. #mycatdoesntjudgeme. “Your weight does not measure your worth-Whitney Thore”

As someone who hasn’t been overweight or had any outstanding experiences being body shamed, I can’t completely understand. But being a 20’something woman, with a great (functional-see here) body, but an imperfect body who almost solely sees images of women with flawless bodies around social media and even in real life, I have moments or streaks of inadequacies. I have times where I intentionally workout a bit harder to tone up my arms to meet that expectation of ideal arms, but that doesn’t last. Because it’s someone else’s idea of perfect, not mine. No one is immune to body shaming, to feeling inadequate. And, unfortunately, I think that’s normal. Let’s stop critiquing what we see in the mirror and focus on making experiences, treating our bodies well (this totally includes our inner and stated dialogue), and focusing on what makes us unique and great, not cloning ourselves to fit what society deems great.

Bottom line, shaming or guilting people doesn’t lead them to make lifestyle changes. Research shows that it does just the opposite. If you’ve ever been body shamed (which, lets be honest, who hasn’t in one way or another), those who shamed you are probably just insecure and taking it out on you. If you’re the one who has shamed others for their bodies, I strongly urge you to take a step back and think about your own motivation for shaming someone for how they look. Do you honestly think your “helpful” (actually very harmful) words are going to change people who are overweight or obese. Chances are that the reasons they’re carrying extra lbs around is far more complicated than you could imagine. So just think about it, zip your trap, and be nice to people.

We HATE fat shaming and want to promote healthy body images.

Let’s get chatty:

What have your experiences been with fat/body shaming? Have you been on either side? What have you learned about it?

Did you hear about/watch this infamous video?

What’s something you can do to support someone who wants to lose weight, or even someone who doesn’t but fits in a higher weight category?